The invention relates to the fields of plumbing and ventilation, and more particularly, to the ventilation of toilets and bathrooms.
The need to remove unpleasant odors from the toilet areas has been with us since long before the invention of the flush toilet. To date, no one has developed a commercially successful method improving upon whole-room ventilation systems (i.e.. whole-room exhaust fans). Yet the need persists. Ventilation proximal to the source of odoriferous emissions would yield may benefits, including inter alia improved evacuation of odors and energy savings. This invention provides a device which overcomes the disadvantages of prior attempts to achieve toilet bowl ventilation, while improving on the currently predominant technology of exchanging large volumes of room air merely to eliminate a relatively small volume of methane. The device, unlike earlier attempts by others, meets all the present-day plumbing, fire and building codes in the United States of which the inventor is aware.
Modern building codes require exhaust systems in rooms housing toilets. Exhaustion of room air, typically from the ceiling, requires the exchange of large quantities of air, and does not necessarily protect occupants from unpleasant odors. This particularly true in public rest rooms and hotel bathrooms. Moreover, the exhaustion of a sufficient quantity of room air to create an acceptably odor-free environment created increased energy loads on buildings due to the influx of un-heated or un-air-conditioned air from the outdoors. Additionally, exhaustion at the source will eliminate the vast majority of methane and associated odors from the building""s heating ventilation and air conditioning system.
While there has been a steady stream of inventive activity related to methods, of locally ventilating a toilet, none have yet met commercial success. This may be partly due to the difficulty in manufacturing and installing such devices, but also due to the fact that many, if not most, fail to meet applicable building codes. In addition, prior technology fails to effectively deal with the variety of existing toilet configurations and designs. The present invention incorporates a modular integrated design to permit retrofitting onto a wide variety of toilet conformations, while providing an aesthetically pleasing, and sanitary finishing installation.
Several patents have been awarded for inventions incorporating exhaust pathways into the toilet seat itself. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,459 granted to Ivancevic teaches a hollow hinge mechanism drawing contaminated air from the rear portion of the top surface of a toilet seat. Ivancevic also claims a switch mechanism to automatically switch on electronically-powered exhaust fan when the user is seated. In addition, Ivancevic teaches exhausting the gaseous waste into the plumbing system via specialized plumbing adapters. This design presents significant electrical and plumbing code compliance problems, as well as being highly complex to fabricate and install. Such a design would be difficult to retrofit into an existing laboratory.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,906 granted to Weiland also described a special toilet seat incorporating exhaust pathways. Weiland""s toilet seat contains an inner conduit communicating to the interior of the bowl through a series of ports, and venting to an exhaust fan through a specialized hinge containing an articulating air passageway. Such a mechanism would be difficult to fabricate so as to fit existing toilet designs, and would create a sanitary problem in that no means is provided for cleaning the interior of the vented toilet seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,794,635 granted to Mills described a similar mechanism to Weiland, having an exhaust port incorporated into a hinge mechanism but also incorporating a mechanical cut-off to the air flow when the seat is raised. However, the Mills invention requires specialized manufacture of the porcelain china bowl to accommodate the mechanism. This is considered impractical for most applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,888 granted to Turner also incorporates ventilation ducts within the toilet seat, connected to an exhaust fan. However, the invention described by Turner places the electrical exhaust fan motor below the flood rim level of the fixture, violating building codes and creating a potential electrical hazard. Additionally, the Turner patent describes an electrical switch when built into the lower portion of the seat designed to turn the exhaust fan on automatically when the weight of a person is placed upon the seat. This adds an additional electrical hazard and code violation. The spring-loaded switch itself would also present a significant sanitary cleaning problem as it would accumulate filth and be difficult to sanitize.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,999 granted to Lindley incorporates internal exhaust airways, but adds a means to intake fresh, turbulent air. However, the Lindley invention teaches the use of a vacuum source rather than an exhaust fan, and utilizes a relatively small diameter exhaust passageway. As a result, the Lindley invention would be quite noisy if operated so as to remove a sufficient quantity of air ti effectively remove unpleasant odors and noxious methane. Additionally, it would consume significantly more electricity than a system using wider ducts and an exhaust fan.
Several patents have also been awarded which describe exhaust systems external to the seat itself. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,109 granted to Christian describes an elongated intake member attached to the underside of the seat, collecting air to be deodorized by a filter external to the toilet. However, the activated charcoal filter described in the Christian patent requires periodic replacement. Further, while it may remove unpleasant odors, it would not necessarily effectively remove noxious and flammable methane from the interior of the building. It further occupies significant space within the room housing the toilet, and may present an electrical hazard.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,293 granted to Stephens described a exhaust hood projecting into the toilet bowl, beneath the seat, and a seat-hinge mechanism incorporated into the sides of the hood. However, in the Stephen""s invention, the intake is blow the flood rim, violating plumbing codes and presenting the hazard of causing over-flowing water to be drawn into the described system.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,637 granted to Hunnicutt describes a collector unit essentially consisting of a generally flat airway protruding below the seat, intended to draw air into a separate activated charcoal unit. However, since the Hunnicutt invention draws from a single location at the rear of the bowl, like some of the other patents discussed, it will not effectively eliminate all odors from escaping from the front and sides of the bowl.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,966 granted to Schafer describes a plastic disposable duct located between the toilet seat and the rim of the bowl, with vacuum ports in a protruding lip on the inner portion of the ring. The ring is connected to a T-shaped vacuum base member with scored segments on the T-outlets to permit shortening. While the Ellis device is an attempt to solve the ineffective collection problems of such devices as Schafer and Hunicutt, it fails to meet plumbing code requirements because it draws air from below the flood rim level. Additionally, by raiding the seat, it introduces structural instability.
Other attempts at designing odor-eliminating systems have approached the problem by using the existing plumbing elements of a toilet in a manner to exhaust air. See, for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,192,539 granted to Marz and U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,544 granted to Barry. These approaches fail to meet plumbing code restrictions because they introduce what is considered sewer gas into potable water systems. Therefore, they may not be implemented in most locations in the United States because they pose the threat of contaminating the domestic potable water.
None of the foregoing attempts at solving the toilet ventilation problem has ever met with the commercial success because each wither requires specialized manufacture of conmmodes, or, if not retrofitted onto existing designs, is difficult to install, aesthetically displeasing and does not meet applicable plumbing, electrical and building codes. Moreover, prior art retrofit approaches will not fit an adequately broad range of existing toilet designs and configurations. Nor are any of the prior are designs conductive to sanitary cleaning. Only the ""966 patent described a disposable device aimed at sanitary concern.
One of the physical limitations related to retrofitting an exhaust system having an element such as an exhaust manifold located between the toilet seat and the toilet tank is the lack of physical space due to the presence of toilet seat mounting hardware, normally hinges. It would be desirable to provide an exhaust pathway which would physically fit directly behind a standard toilet seat without the need to specially manufacture a commode with additional clearance between the rear seat and the tank.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a system for directly ventilating a toilet bowl without the need to manufacture a specialized commode.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for easily retrofitting a wide variety of existing toilet designs with a bowl-ventilation device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for retrofitting a toilet bowl ventilation device in an aesthetically-pleasing way.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl ventilation device which will meet the majority of present-day plumbing, fire, electrical and other building codes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl ventilation device which can be effectively cleaned.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl ventilation device which is both suitable for both retrofitting and new construction.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl ventilation device which permits clearance for a toilet seat mounting hardware while providing a manifold between the ear of the toilet seat and the toilet tank.
This invention relates to a toilet bowl ventilation system which can be retrofit on a variety of toilet bowl configurations.